Government Test 2, Chapter 5-8

Limited amount of money party committee can give to candidate

$5,000 for House, $47,400 for Senate candidates

Register at poll on election day

10 states - Idaho, Main & Minnesota

Equal Protection Clause

14th amendment clause that prohibits states from denying equal protection under the law, and has been used to combat discrimination

Voter Turnout Percentage

60% for Presidential elections, 40% for Midterm elections Participation is lower in the US than nearly every other democracy

Redlining

A discriminatory real estate practice in North America in which members of minority groups are prevented from obtaining money to purchase homes or property in predominantly white neighborhoods. The practice derived its name from the red lines depicted on cadastral maps used by real estate agents and developers. Today, redlining is officially illegal.

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

A law passed in 1990 that requires employers and public facilities to make "reasonable accommodations" for people with disabilities and prohibits discrimination against these individuals in employment.

Occupy Wall Street Movement

A loose coalition of progressive and radical forces that emerged in 2011 in New York City and around the country to protest corporate greed and federal policies that benefit the very wealthy.

Green Party

A minor party dedicated to the environment, social justice, nonviolence, and the foreign policy of nonintervention. Ralph Nader ran as the Green party's nominee in 2000.

delegate

A person appointed or elected to represent others

Affirmative Action

A policy designed to give special attention to or compensatory treatment for members of some previously disadvantaged group.

money chase

A term used to describe the fact that U.S. campaigns are very expensive and candidates must spend a great amount of time raising funds in order to compete successfully. (senator must raise nearly $20,000 a week, raise min $5 mil)

reasonable basis test

A test applied by courts to laws that treat individuals unequally. Such a law may be deemed constitutional if its purpose is held to be "reasonably" related to a legitimate government interest.

America's first parties originated in a rivalry between

Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson

Grutter v. Bollinger (2003)

Allowed the use of race as a general factor in law school admissions at University of Michigan

Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA)

Allows employees to take a total of 12 weeks' leave during any 12-month period for the birth of a child or serious health condition of of family member

proportional representation

An election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote.

Salience

An individual's belief that an issue is important or relevant to him or her.

Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906)

Anthony was one of the most outspoken and most famous proponents of women's suffrage in the United States. Along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, she co-founded the first women's temperance society in the 1850s after they were excluded from an all-male temperance society. Together, in 1868, the two women founded a journal called The Revolution, which was dedicated to promoting women's rights. The following year, Stanton and Anthony formed the National Woman Suffrage Association. In 1872, Anthony gained fame when she was arrested for voting in the presidential election. She defended herself by quoting the Fourteenth Amendment, but she was convicted.

Whigs

Anti-Jackson political party that generally stood for national community and an activist government (led by Henry Clay)

Sonia Sotomayor

Appointed by President Obama in 2009, first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice

Strangers in their own land

Arlie Russell Hochschild describes how working class whites see themselves as having waited patiently in line for a piece of the American Dream while minorities and immigrants cut in line by affirmative action, etc.

Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967

Bans age discrimination for jobs unless age is related to job performance

Rostker v. Goldberg (1981)

Congress can draft men without drafting women

closed primaries

Elections to select party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for that party's candidates, thus encouraging greater party loyalty.

open primaries

Elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on Election Day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contests.

Labor unions are stronger in

Europe (mos Euro democracies have major socialist or labor parties, dedicated to the interest of lower-income voters)

Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974

Federal act which prohibits discrimination in financing, based on race, age, sex, or marital status.

Free Soil Party

Formed in 1847 - 1848, dedicated to opposing slavery in newly acquired territories such as Oregon and ceded Mexican territory.

19th Amendment (1920)

Gave women the right to vote

Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968

Guaranteed Indians the rights granted to other citizens in the Bill of Rights while at the same time recognizing the legitimacy of tribal laws.

States' Rights Party

In 1948, a group of southern Democrats known as the dixiecrats bolted from their party and supported Governor Strom Thurmond of South Carolina as the presidential candidate of the States Rights party.

packaging (of a candidate)

In modern campaigning, the process of recasting a candidate's record into an appealing image.

Register 2 weeks before election day

Indiana, Mississippi, Alabama (lowest turnout rates)

Equal Pay Act of 1963

Legislation that requires employers to pay men and women equal pay for equal work

Split-ticket percentage

Less than 20% of voters

Cesar Chavez

Non-violent leader of the United Farm Workers from 1963-1970. Organized laborers in California and in the Southwest to strike against fruit and vegetable growers. Unionized Mexican-American farm workers.

Ada Sipuel 1949

OU law school student, separated

Libertarian

One who believes in limited government interference in personal and economic liberties

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Overrules Plessy v. Ferguson (no stare decisis). Racial segregation violates 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause ("separate is inherently unequal"), Linda Carol Brown (Topeka, KS) walked an extra mile to black school

Era of Good Feelings, 1815-24

Period of strong nationalism, economic growth, territorial expansion under the presidency of James Monroe. Only one major political party at the time (Republican)

hard money

Political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed.

Title IX of Education Act of 1972

Prohibited gender discrimination in federally funded education programs

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

Same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.

Sandra Day O'Connor (1981)

Sandra Day O'Connor was appointed by President Reagan as the first woman associate justice of the US Supreme Court in 1981

Higher rates of protest participation

Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, Mexico

University of California v. Bakke (1978)

The Supreme Court ruled that while the use of affirmative action programs is legal, they must apply them in such a way that the right of others is not violated.

linkage institutions

The channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. In the United States, linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.

party coalitions

The groups that identify with a political party, usually described in demographic terms such as African American Democrats or evangelical Republicans.

Motor Voter Act of 1993

The legislation required state governments to allow for registration when a qualifying voter applied for or renewed their driver's license or applied for social services.

Greenback Party

The party opposed the shift from paper money back to a specie-based monetary system because it believed that privately owned banks and corporations would then reacquire the power to define the value of products and labor. Conversely, they believed that government control of the monetary system would allow it to keep more currency in circulation, as it had in the war

equal rights or civil rights

The right of every person to equal protection under the laws and equal access to society's opportunities and public facilities.

15th Amendment (1870)

U.S. cannot prevent a person from voting because of race, color, or creed

Populist Party

U.S. political party formed in 1892 representing mainly farmers, favoring free coinage of silver and government control of railroads and other monopolies

Four Realignments since 1850s

Union Party - (Republicans) Depression - (Democrats) The Great Depression - (Republican) The New Deal - (Democrats)

Bull Moose Party (1912)

When Theodore Roosevelt became unhappy with his handpicked successor, William Howard Taft, he didn't just make disparaging comments to the press: he actually ran against him as the standard-bearer for the new Progressive (or "Bull Moose") Party. Splitting the Republican vote, Roosevelt made it easy for Democrat Woodrow Wilson to sneak into office by a plurality.

presidential coattails

When voters vote for members of the President's party because they like the President

Tea Party Movement (2009)

a grassroots, conservative protest movement that opposed recent government actions, including economic stimulus spending and health care reform

March on Washington (1963)

a large political rally that took place in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic "I Have a Dream" speech advocating racial harmony at the Lincoln Memorial during the march. Widely credited as helping lead to the Civil Rights Act (1964) and the National Voting Rights Act (1965). 80% of the marchers were black. Organized by union leader A. Philip Randolph.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

a law designed to help end formal and informal barriers to African-American voting

Median Voter Theorem (MVT)

a majority rule voting system will select the outcome most preferred by the median voter

grassroots party

a political party organized chiefly at the local level and is open to all citizens

Trustee

a representative who votes based on what he or she thinks is best for his or her constituency

Ideology

a system of ideas and ideals, especially one that forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.

plurality system

a type of electoral system in which, to win a seat in the parliament or other representative body, a candidate need only receive the most votes in the election, not necessarily a majority of votes cast

Black Lives Matter Movement

an international activist movement, originating in the African-American community, that campaigns against violence and systemic racism toward black people.

civic attitudes

apathy (no interest), alienation (powerless feeling), civic duty (my job)

Chinese and Japanese laborers

brought to the western states during the late 1800s to work in mines and build railroads

Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education (1971)

busing children out for the purpose of racially integrated schools

top-two primaries

candidates are listed on the same ballot without regard to party; the top two finishers become the general election candidates

suspect classification

category or class, such as race, that triggers the highest standard of scrutiny from the Supreme Court (i.e. Loving vs. Virginia - black/white couple trying to get married)

14th Amendment (1868)

citizenship, due process, equal protection

de jure discrimination

discrimination arising from or supported by the law

de facto discrimination

discrimination that is the result not of law but rather of tradition and habit

Two states (VA & NJ)

elect their governors in odd-numbered years

party realignment

extraordinary party change (over several years), involves three things: 1) powerful & divisive issues, 2) election contest, 3) enduring change

social capital

face-to-face interactions, cooperative relationships that facilitate the resolution of collective problems, Robert Putnam at Harvard)

Primary Agent of Socialization

family, school, church

Reform Party (Ross Perot)

forced the major parties to address the national debt and the nation's economic problems

The State party organizations engage in activities such as

fundraising & voter registration

Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975

guarantees that children with disabilities will receive an "appropriate" education

Democratic National Committee (DNC)

help set organizational policy & raise money, has over 300 members

Federal & State Elections in the US are held

in even-numbered years

Local Elections in US are held

in odd-numbered years

Republican National Committee (RNC)

is a U.S. political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy, has over 150 members)

cultural (social) liberals

leave lifestyle choices to the individual

Length of presidential campaigns

longer than a year

Length of congressional campaigns

months

Trail of Broken Treaties (1972)

nationwide Indian protest against the U.S. Government for its past mistreatment of natives and failure to resolve persistent economic problems on reservations

Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton

organized a convention for women's rights held in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848

Civil Rights Act of 1964

outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin (signed by LBJ)

secondary agents of socialization

peers, media, leaders, events

Economic conservatives

people who favor private enterprise and oppose government regulation of business

strict scutiny test

presumes that the law is unconstitutional unless government can provide a compelling basis for it

political socialization

process by which background traits influence one's political views

Three of America's deepest divides

race, religion and geography

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

separate but equal facilities

Lau v. Nichols (1974)

the failure of San Francisco schools to provide English-language instruction to approximately 1,800 students of Chinese ancestry who do not speak English, or to provide them with other adequate instructional procedures, denies them a meaningful opportunity to participate in the public education program, and thus violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the 14th A.

Hispanics are

the fastest growing minority in the US

Suffrage

the right to vote

Intensity of opinion

the strength of an individual's views on an issue

Single member district system

the system used to select members of the House of Representatives. People elect one representative per district. With a winner-take-all rule, this system strengthens the two major parties and weakens minor parties.

The vote gives citizens control over government AND

the vote gives government control over the citizens

Economic liberals

those who favor an expanded government role in the economy but a limited role in the social order

cultural (social) conservatives

use government to promote traditional values (like laws banning abortion)

Spiral of Silence Theory

vocal majority intimidates other into silence (Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann)

prospective voting

voting based on the imagined future performance of a candidate

retrospective voting

voting for a candidate because you like his or her past actions in office

Direction of opinion

whether people have a pro or con position on a topic

Most powerful religious force today

white evangelical Protestants

Gender gap in voting

women weren't able to vote until the 19th amendment; in recent history women have voted more than men